| You know what they say, “It ain’t the size that matters!!!” YEAH RIGHT!
Picture this. I am a 22-year-old qualified black person. I work in a very competitive environment where there are a lot of other professional young (and old!) men. I go to gym. (Okay, okay, I started going last month and the next time I go will be my third time, which I am dreading.)
I got there, by the gym. Go to reception. Look around. See a very athletic old-ish white woman. She has very fine legs nogals. She says, “Hi there, kan I help jou?” I think to myself, ‘It is the new SA, I guess we are allowed to speak like that in public.’
“Hi, I just came to inquire about the gymnasium”, I asked (politely). “Excuse me?” she says, I repeat, “Ek het net kom uitvind oor die gym.” (Hmmm, old me being a young South African, know how to praat, jy weet).
“Oh, o-kay, it is R40 per month for staff and the joining fee is R30 and for activation it is R30 ook”.
“Can I look around?”
“Ja, sure.”
She takes me around. A lot of big guys here. Big guys. It intimidates me. I am lean. No. Very lean. You know, THIN. On the bikes (or whatever they are called), on the uh… uh… whatever. Just big ge-muscled guys. No chubby ones either to make you feel better.
She tells me there is a shower room with x number of showers. A steam room. I think, lekka. Never been in one before. Only seen it in The Bold & the Beautiful, you know the Ridge & Brooke scenes. Mmmmm. I sign the forms. Give her my cheque. Funny hey, have a chequebook with a fat balance, never been in a steam room before.
Next day, with all my gear (Nike takkies, Nike t-shirt, Nike shorts, Nike-all-the-way. It’s 13h00 and I am on my way to the gym. Get into the changing room and not that full today (so I thought). Okay. Get changed. Look myself in the mirror, “So Mr Nike, off we go to gym”. Lekka.
Made a fool of myself, I think. It seems everyone is staring at me. There is nothing to stare at, by they are! Okay, I am new, thin, look a bit nervous (maybe a lot), on the wrong equipment, BLACK.
Twenty minutes go past. Me thinks. Time to go. Steam room!!! Here I come. Excited and all.
Get in there and damn. Never seen so many naked guys in room before. The cliché, “Black men have big d**ks, ain’t all that true. I am black young man with a penis I think is the smallest in the world. (You might think I am exaggerating, check page 67 on the Guinness Book of Records).
I head for the steam room with my very, very, very big towel around my waist. I step into the steam room and everyone is naked. I think. Bold, towel-off, RUN. I couldn’t run. Improvise, took my towel off. Left with my briefs. Went anyways. Ten minutes of Bold and I had enough. The most intimidating part. The showers. The OPEN showers. I will not go into the humiliation and shame I went through that day, NEVER.
I am definitely positive there must be guys out there who feel the same. “Where are you?” I am sure we can open our own SoShy Active, Inc. Public gyms are not for me.
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